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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24813190">Deadly Recompense</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/maggotuwu/pseuds/maggotuwu'>maggotuwu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Boys in Skirts, Christianity, Depression, Gay Panic, Gen, Immortality, Lee Felix (Stray Kids)-centric, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mentioned Zhong Chen Le, Oblivious Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Self-Hatred, Seven Deadly Sins, Supernatural Elements, also i can't write a lot at one time please forgive me, i curse every two seconds, im very edgy B), seven deadly sins au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:15:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,256</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24813190</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/maggotuwu/pseuds/maggotuwu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The high, shackled walls were pitch black, occasionally disrupted by stained glass windows with Christian designs. A Virgin Mary, Jesus on the cross, things Felix had to see all throughout his young life, but that, for the first time, struck fear in him. A tall, dead tree trailed up the side of the building, branches drooping to the ground and brushing the tall, unkempt grass. Overgrowth clung to the mansion, vines and ivy twisting up into the roof and around its vent stacks, disappearing inside. A thin, brick chimney protruded from the top of the slanted edifice, unlit and falling apart.</p><p>Weeping willows framed the scene, their dangling branches swaying in the summer breeze. Felix could only thank God that it wasn't storming. The pleasant weather put him at some degree of ease amidst the scenery. He gave the house a look up and down, and came to a solid conclusion: definitely haunted. He was never one to believe in the paranormal, but if a spook wanted to live anywhere, Felix was sure it would be in a drab, Gothic suite like the one before him.</p><p>He was right.</p><p>(insp: writing-prompt-s on tumblr)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bang Chan &amp; Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han &amp; Lee Felix, Hwang Hyunjin &amp; Lee Felix, Kim Seungmin &amp; Lee Felix, Lee Felix &amp; Lee Minho | Lee Know, Lee Felix &amp; Seo Changbin, Lee Felix &amp; Yang Jeongin | I.N, Lee Felix (Stray Kids) &amp; Everyone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>237</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Dahyun Takes a Fall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this whole fic has a lot of cursing!!</p><p>tws: mentions of blood and getting cut by glass (at the beginning if u wanna skip), anxiety attacks, triggers, passive suicidal thoughts</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Fuck," Felix mutters, gazing at the remnants of his coffee mug. Shards burrowed into the ratty floor of his Uber driver's Honda Civic, some dangerously close to his feet. He lifted his legs to his chest and cast a risky glare towards his driver, who kept humming along to a shitty reggae playlist. Good for Felix's odds of surviving his trip, but not for his mental state.</p><p>The pieces of TWICE's Dahyun stared up at him and, in her shattered state, she still managed to look imposing. "I'm sorry I failed you, queen," Felix whispered in true Felix fashion, leaning down to salvage what he could. At the very least, he could avoid pissing off the much larger man in the front seat more than he already has. </p><p>He carefully plucked a few pieces of the glass from the threadbare carpeting, holding them in his right hand and trying not to cut himself. God knows how many germs were in this car. After several hisses and maybe a few hidden birds flipped at a certain driver, Felix managed to save as much of his mug as possible. The way his back cracked and stung as he got back up just made it all the more perfect. Felix frowned and, after he chucking the shards out the window and into the grass, put his earbuds back in. All in all, he's had a great start to his day. </p><p>First, he woke up two hours before his alarm and couldn't fall back asleep. Then, he burnt his pancakes into oblivion (and the strawberries somehow- how did he burn fruit?). Now he was in a stranger's car, on his way to a stranger's mansion. And the stranger isn't even his sugar daddy! The more and more time passes, the more Felix regrets not signing up for Grindr.</p><p>A creepy old rich guy is definitely a better benefactor than a mysterious young aunt who had moved away with zero explanation. Felix slammed his forehead against the window- not too loud, but enough to give a little sense of pain. The more he thought about it, the more she confused him: Aunt Charlotte. When he and his family had flown overseas to Korea for a family reunion, she'd always been the one in the corner, nibbling on food from the buffet and keeping a table all to herself. She had a serious case of RBF (not that Felix had much room to talk) and not many people were willing to approach her, much less start up a conversation.</p><p>She was the perfect image of unemployed rich girl. Her long black hair was permanently pinned up in a tight bun, her Roman nose shriveled at the slightest disruption, which was often, considering the innumerable loud cousins. Felix had heard she'd inherited a fortune and never had to work in her life- maybe rumors, maybe not. Charlotte never showed up with anyone else at the reunions, and his parents refused to talk about her, so Felix, for the most part, overlooked her existence.</p><p>Until she gave him a house. </p><p>Ever the optimist, Felix's initial reaction was, "is she dead?" The letter he received wasn't a will, though, it only said that she wished him well and wanted to "expand her horizons". Most people did that by taking sewing classes or something, but she was rich, after all. Maybe the fact that Felix never gossiped about her or interacted at all made him a prime contender.</p><p>Whatever the reason, free stuff was free stuff, and Felix's old, bare-bones apartment was probably way worse than whatever Addams' Family mansion Charlotte pawned off on him. It's not like he had many friends near his old place to make it worth staying, anyways, besides Zhong Chenle. He was the one who found Felix an affordable place, and who made his awful part-time job worth it. To top it off, they even attended the same college. Chenle and Felix are inseparable, but a bomb new house was still a bomb new house, and Chenle understood that quite well. <em>Maybe the couches won't even have dead bugs in them</em>, Felix prayed as his ride came to an end. Curiously, he leaned forward to see that the road veered left into a forest with a huge, iron gate. "Dude, is this house from a drama or something?" He muttered to himself.</p><p>A loud clearing of the throat startled him, and he craned his neck back to see the driver holding out his hand impatiently. Felix gave him his credit card and, once it was swiped and given back to him, grabbed his suitcase and beat it. As the sound of an engine revving faded out of the peripheral of his hearing, he switched his focus to the journey ahead. He took another few steps forward and leaned backwards, blinking dumbly at the sight in front of him.

</p><p>The gate, surrounded by weeping willows, was intricately adorned with swirling iron patterns and flower designs. In the middle of the unnecessarily fancy thing, it read, "LEE" in big, metal letters. Felix rolled his eyes and walked up to it, letting his fingers trace over the carvings. They were cold, rusted with years of age, yet again confirming the rich aunt theory in Felix's mind. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the rusty key he had gotten with the letter. "Really hope this doesn't give me tinnitus," he hissed, inserting it into the lock and straining his arms to twist it. With a loud, ear-piercing groan, entry was granted. </p><p>A sinking feeling dwelled in Felix's stomach, probably thanks to the fact that he was entering what could've been a Victorian-themed slaughter house. He reacheed around and, after locking it back up safely, pulled out the key and put it into his jean pocket. His scuffed Vans kicked up debris as he shuffled through the gate and closed it behind him. He jumped at the echoing sound it gave, skittering away and further into the woods. </p><p>The path transitioned into a stone walkway is it continued on ahead, pebbles weaving in and out of some elaborate design he couldn't be bothered to decipher. Felix stared at his feet as he kept on walking, eyes tracing the columns of stones. Scattered bird calls and cricket chirps rang through the air, mostly quieted by the high-volume electronic k-pop blasting through his phone and into his ears. Tall evergreen trees looked down on him and a chill rattled his spine. Existential dread dawned on him- which wasn't that unusual, but more prominent when about to enter a random house.</p><p>His fear was reinforced as he got a good look of it.</p><p>The high, shackled walls were pitch black, occasionally disrupted by stained glass windows with Christian designs. A Virgin Mary, Jesus on the cross, things Felix had to see all throughout his young life, but that, for the first time, struck fear in him. A tall, dead tree trailed up the side of the building, branches drooping to the ground and brushing the tall, unkempt grass. Overgrowth clung to the mansion, vines and ivy twisting up into the roof and around its vent stacks, disappearing inside. A thin, brick chimney protruded from the top of the slanted edifice, unlit and falling apart.</p><p>Weeping willows framed the scene, their dangling branches swaying in the summer breeze. Felix could only thank God that it wasn't storming. The pleasant weather put him at some degree of ease amidst the scenery. He gave the house a look up and down, and came to a solid conclusion: definitely haunted. He was never one to believe in the paranormal, but if a spook wanted to live anywhere, it was probably in a drab, Gothic suite like the one before him.</p><p>He sighed and headed up the steps, arms coming up to embrace his elbows. Goosebumps protruded from his skin, but Felix couldn't tell whether from foreboding or fear. Maybe both. Nevertheless, he swung open the doors (with their unnecessarily elaborate handles) and gave the foyer a good, long look. It was off-puttingly modern compared to the outside. Love seats circled the living space, surrounding a flat screen TV. For the life of him, Felix couldn't get himself to imagine his aunt sitting down and lounging around in a place like the one he was looking at. It was too cheerful, too bright to belong to her. Contradictions aside- maybe she was just gloomy on the outside- he fumbled for a lightswitch and flicked it upwards, relishing in the much less terrifying light that surrounded him.</p><p>"Hey there, demons, it's me, your boy," he muttered half-heartedly as the entrance slams shut from the force of the wind. Felix jumped and spun around, but when he tried the door, it was unlocked. Yeah, he was definitely going insane. Laughing a little, Felix pulled out his phone and texted Chenle, as requested, "I'm alive" before taking out his earbuds and looking up. He blinked once, twice, three times, and the images didn't disappear.</p><p>There, smack in front of him, were seven translucent beings.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i rewrote this because it was literal trash and now i'm going to do the rest!! thank u for reading, ilysm, i identify with aunt charlotte and hope she gets a hot goth gf</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Seven "Deadly" Sins</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Felix meets his seven home intruders, who make an obnoxious introduction. He kind of wants his shitty, one-bedroom apartment back.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TWS: anxiety/panic attacks, suicidal thoughts/ideation, religion (slightly?? this whole fic centers around the seven sins), touching without consent (just on the chest), sexual jokes bc hyunjin is Wild, mentions of sex, jisung makes felix panic but not on purpose</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Felix looked over the line-up of people who seem to be around his age, blinking painfully. Something about the way they held themselves, the power and self-assurance they exhumed, had him believing they've seen an endless number of eras, things he could never imagine, which wasn't reassuring. One of them, , steps forward. "I like your meme, but maybe you should check for ghosts before you talk to yourself." Their voice was a low drawl, almost as if they were half asleep. Had it been any less terrifying person, Felix would've related to them, but instead it scared him shitless.</p><p>Another one of the group snorted, crossing their arms. Their brown hair bounced as they shook their head, brown eyes shining with something not entirely human. "Not every house has ghosts, Sungie, we're just special." They preened. Felix found himself pinching his elbow as he tried to figure out why someone would be proud of being a dead spook living in some grumpy widow's house.</p><p><em>Are they going to kill him?</em> He didn't think of himself as important, and ghosts typically seek revenge, so there was probably nothing they'd want him dead for. Besides, how could a ghost kill someone? Felix racked his brain and all he could come up with is the ghosts from Beetlejuice possessing and killing someone. Not the way he wanted to go.</p><p>"So, you're ghosts." He said stupidly, finally looking them up and down. They weren't much- if Felix ignored the sickly sheen of their skin and the paleness of their retinas, he could almost see them as human.</p><p>One of the figures' faces puckered up in offense, letting his hands settle on his hips. "We're not ghosts, we're <em>spirits</em>, okay?" Their feline eyes squinted dangerously at him, and Felix couldn't believe that he'd already made them made. <em>Good one, Lee, you're already halfway to your grave. </em>They probably knew he didn't believe in ghosts (or spirits), too. What if they really were Beetlejuice ghosts? Was that why Aunt Charlotte left? Oh, God, what if they do the same thing to him, freaking him out until he snaps? He's not too far already, but what if they're dangerous? They could hire him as their ghost slave for all eternity, or make him lure someone else here, or turn into huge, CGI monsters, or- "Hey, calm down," someone said with a soothing tone. It slowly reduced his thoughts to background noise, leaving him floating.</p><p>Their voice sounded so nice. So nice that Felix just wanted to stop thinking, to fall asleep. He stared at the ground and let comforting memories float through his mind, almost tangible. Warm, summer evenings in Australia, his mother's embrace, getting that scholarship letter he prayed for, finding his first friend in Korea, and so many more indistinguishable moments played. They started off slow, calm, but got progressively faster. He felt his eyes shake as thoughts played like a relay race, making sweat drip down his face.</p><p>"Did you fuck with his brain? Jisung, we talked about this!" Someone shouted, over the rushing of wind, screaming of people only present in Felix's head. He blinked quickly, swaying on his feet, and felt his legs tremble from where he was standing in the expanse of a dream. Someone lowered him into a plush surface, which he grasped at desperately. He took a quivering inhale, feeling a tear slip out of his eye, and a few more for good measure.</p><p>"Fuck, why is he crying? Turn him back!" Just like that, Felix was spurred awake, rocketing off of the surface he found to be one of the bright loveseats. He gasped and took a look around, startled. Everyone seems as concerned and out of their element as Felix felt. He looked down at his fingers, closed and opened them, and eventually got himself to look back up.</p><p>"What'd you do to me?" He asked, feeble. Sure, he's had anxiety attacks before, but never like that. it felt weird, strange, even less out of his control. He stared at who he suspected- the sleepy one who, presumably, was named Jisung. To their credit, they looked guilty and full-out ashamed, twiddling their thumbs.</p><p>Jisung took a deep breath, "I brought up your happiest memories from your subconscious. Most people find it relaxing, but if you have a lotta anxiety it puts you on edge. 'M sorry, was tryna help." They looked exhausted by the end of it, but it was muzzled by panic. Felix guessed talking took a lot out of them, judging by the way their neighbor held a supporting hand at the base of their back.</p><p>Felix simply shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he whispered unsteadily, not fully meaning it. The whole ordeal unnerved him. He knew Jisung thought it would help, but it didn't fully matter to Felix when all he felt was that churning, complex nostalgia coursing through his veins. It was oh-so-real, oh-so-painful. Would they use that against him? A long, unsure silence ensued.</p><p>"Let's try to start over, shall we?" One of them asked, curly hair bobbing up and down as they bowed deeply in apology. "I'm Chan, or Gluttony, which is probably what you know me by. My tendency to indulge in things is increased, so I eat more, play games more, and, uh, yeah." They rubbed at the back of their neck and cast a meaningful glance around the room. Someone perked up.</p><p>"Minho," they gestured extravagantly, "but some refer to me as 'Pride'. I have confidence that some may consider over-the-top, or 'dangerous'." They gave a narrowed side-glance to Chan, who shook their head at them fondly. Huffing, Minho smoothed out their mid-thigh skirt and crossed their arms, albeit not looking scary due to the pink tint of their eyes. Felix stared at them and sleepily wondered if it functioned like a mood ring.</p><p>Next was the one Felix met first, whose eyebrows were bunched together and hands clasped. "You... already know I'm Jisung. 'M other name is Sloth, which means it's hard to be energetic or productive. I can do it... just takes a lot of breaks." They peeked out further from behind Minho, who patted their head reassuringly. Felix had mixed feelings about Jisung.</p><p>The smallest of the group went next, patting the head of the person next to them before gesturing to themself brashly. "I'm Changbin," they introduced, voice gruff but smiling widely, "or Wrath. That makes me easily angered and revenge-driven."</p><p>From their side, another spirit. "My name's Seungmin, or Envy. I get, well... envious easily and it upsets me when I'm not getting attention." They rolled their eyes when Minho muttered an agreement. Not-so-subtly, they flipped them the bird, shocking Felix into a memory of his unknowing self on the car ride to this place. He rubbed at his temples.</p><p>"I'm Jeongin," another interrupts before Seungmin and Minho could start bickering, "but some call me Greed. I have high ambitions and sometimes they get a little out of control. I can't be realistic when it comes to goals." Jeongin looked a little sad at the way they described themself, but Seungmin caught their eye. Something passes between them, and Jeongin took a long breath in. <em>Not freaky at all, </em>Felix sighed to himself.</p><p>The final stranger then strutted forward, heels clicking against the tile. Their pleated skirt swished as they glt up close to Felix. He flinched back, surprised. "I'm Hyunjin," they purr, smiling as their index finger traces patterns on his chest, "but you can call me any time." There were a couple of groans from the rest. "Just fucking with you. I'm Lust, so I have one hell of a sex drive." They smiled widely, jumping back away from Felix.</p><p>Felix was reeling as he watched Changbin smack Hyunjin's neck. Chan chuckled nervously. "Any questions?" They asked, and everyone stared, anticipating.</p><p>"I-uh-I-" Felix started wisely- "-what pronouns should I use for you? Who are you? Why are you in my aunt's old house?" He wrung his hands together and gnawed at his bottom lip. He didn't particularly <em>like</em> talking to these people, but if he was going to share a house with them, he may as well know whether or not they were going to kill him.</p><p>Minho raised their hand coolly. "As your resident spirit expert, I'll take it from here. We all go by he/him. We're here-" </p><p>"-to help the Lee family regain their legacy!" Seungmin cut in, voice taught with bravado. His hand came up to cover his mouth belatedly. He didn't look guilty, per se, but at least he had the decency to try. Felix huffed a small, awkward laugh. </p><p>Minho's face curdled, but he nodded and continued. "Your bloodline used to contain those who were dubbed 'pure'. They were as close to a balance of the sins- that's us- as possible. Slowly, however, we realized the pressure to be perfect was crushing the mortals' mentality. Instead, we changed our group's mission to be helping humans, mainly the Lee clan, live fulfilling and healthy lives in order to make up for what we've done in the past."</p><p>There was quiet for a moment as Felix absorbed the information. These seven 'sins' were going to help him achieve fulfillment? Even on the surface, there were more things wrong with that than he could count. His confusion must've been obvious, because Hyunjin spoke.</p><p>"We may be fucked up, but we can recognize our faults, honey." He explained, twirling a bit of his mid-length hair around his index finger. "It's impossible for us to be normal, but we can help people like you." Felix didn't know if he should be offended or not, but he didn't protest. These spirits still had the ability to snap his neck, after all.</p><p>Felix gazed out the window and wondered exhaustively if the house was tall enough for him to jump out of and escape whatever the hell was going on. He shook himself and turned back to the group, who stared at him in expectation. "So, uh, immortal spirits or whatever, sure. Why are you in my aunt's house, though?" </p><p>Minho rolled his eyes. "I thought my explanation would've made that clear. We were helping your aunt live better, but she eventually found a partner and moved house to live with them, so we stayed here." Felix had no idea how he was supposed to garner that from what little they'd told him, but once again, he kept that thought locked up.</p><p>He simply hummed in acquiescence, and left the uncomfortable silence to simmer. Meanwhile, a flurry of thoughts hurled themselves at him. Do spirits need sleep? Will they have impossibly loud sex and host annoying parties like his former roomates? <em>Probably not.</em> He doubted they had parties at all wherever they're from.</p><p>Casting a weary glance at the spirits who raked their eyes up and down him, Felix finally cleared his throat. "Okay, uh- I appreciate that you're here, but, is... is it okay if I go finish my essay now?" Hyunjin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, but Chan's glare stopped him before he could say whatever possibly disturbing thing he was going to joke about.</p><p>"That's fine, Felix," Chan assured, dimples on display as he smiled soothingly, "your room's the third on the right." Felix took a deep breath and bowed before he snatched up his suitcase and ran up the stairs. His shoes thumped against the floorboards as he swung open the door he thought must belong to him. Leant against the doorframe and with several deep breaths in, he analyzed the room's set-up.</p><p>There was a desk pushed into the corner of the room, dusty from misuse and painted black. Dark brown carpet covered the floor, lint clung to it and its coils trampled from past occupants' footsteps. There were framed posters on the wall- punk bands Felix had never heard of in his life, but that wasn't really saying much. Finally, in the center of the room, there was an entirely black bed with a white canopy. He dumped his bag near the desk and collapsed on the mattress. Not without looking it over first, of course</p><p>Springs dug into his spine and made him flinch. Felix winced and shifted until he finally found an indentation from someone else's waist. A shudder coursed through him at how used the room felt. He felt watched, like everyone who has sat in this room was staring at him. Probably a possibility, considering the whole "spirit" thing. He shuddered and ignored the feeling of being watched, sitting up on the bed.</p><p>He reached over the edge of his bed and grabbed his laptop. The very least he could do is finish his shitty essay before it was due, and get the seven others living in his house out of his mind. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>HI I LOVE SKZ AND I DONT THINK OF THEM LIKE THIS!! THEYRE OOC AND DRAMATICIZED TO FIT THIS FIC</p><p>also good luck remembering who's who, i cant either<br/>Jeongin: greed<br/>Seungmin: envy<br/>Jisung: sloth<br/>Hyunjin: lust<br/>Changbin: wrath (actually a cutie shh)<br/>Minho: pride<br/>Chan: glutton</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Spooky Solstices</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jeonglix get to know each other, and Felix learns a few things about the sins! Chenle has no idea what he's getting himself into.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>a million apologies for not posting sooner!! my only excuse is that im not used to holding myself to a schedule, im more of a casual writer, but ill try harder!</p><p>TWS: mentions of sex (brief), usual self-deprecation, mentions of wanting to die (what else is new)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Preoccupied with analyzing Edgar Allan Poe's rants, the topic of seven ghost boys in his house escaped Felix's mind. He managed to even forget about them entirely for a while as he squeezed his meager productivity into a Google Doc. As soon as his essay high faded, however, reality struck. Looking into the darkness of his bedroom, he proclaimed, "Shit." Not eloquent, but adequate to describe what he felt.</p><p>His phone buzzed from his pocket, and instinctually, he slid it out and clicked it on. </p><p><strong>Chenle</strong><br/>glad you're alive<br/>is the house ok??</p><p>Felix stared at the message lighting up his screen for a while. He doubted that the dictionary definition of okay even began to describe the situation he was in, but how could he begin to explain that? He started to type slowly. His fingers dragged across the keyboard, the cracks of his screen grating against them.</p><p><strong>Felix</strong><br/>lmao yeah can you come over tomorrow though</p><p>At the very least, having a guest could confirm Felix isn't having some kind of elaborate hallucination. The best case scenario would be Chenle snatching him up and letting him take refuge in his cool, rich boy house. <em>Although</em>, Felix thought to himself bitterly as he rolled onto his back, <em>my own house isn't that bad. At least they haven't tried to kill me yet.</em></p><p>He sighed and checked his messages again.</p><p><strong>Chenle</strong><br/>sure dude, just exorcise the place first</p><p>The text made him snort, and he left it on read. Chenle had no idea. There was really no way to tell someone about a haunting, over the internet no less, so Felix resolved to say it tomorrow, ignoring the likelihood of his friend (understandably) thinking of him as insane. Knowing how Felix acted around him on the daily, he must already.</p><p>Someone knocked, interrupting his internal monologue. It made Felix passively wonder how spirits were solid enough to do so. "Come in," he muttered, hands combing through his hair. The door creaked open, revealing- <em>what's his name, again?</em> Slanted eyes, angular dimples, brown hair...</p><p>"Jeongin." Felix announced, triumphant. The fact that he said it out loud registered, and heat colored his face. "I- uh. What do you want?" He ignored how rude he sounded and tried to put more effort into not being an idiot.</p><p>The door slammed and Jeongin took a look around the room. Something indecipherable flicked in his eyes. Just as Felix took note of it, it was gone, and the other boy kept his eyes strictly off of the walls. It made Felix wonder what kind of relationship they had formed with his aunt. Either way, that could wait until later.</p><p>Jeongin took a small step into the room, hands clasped together. "They said I'd probably scare you the least, so I came to tell ya about the house and stuff." He leapt towards the desk, collapsed into the chair, and spun around. His feet were touching the seat cover and the wheels squeaked obnoxiously with each rotation. Felix's eyes twitched.</p><p>"How'd you even know I was awake?" He asked, leaning over to plug his laptop into the wall. Jeongin abruptly stopped spinning and lurched forward. His hands clutched at the armrests.</p><p>"That's a secret," he beamed, nose scrunching. Felix blinked at him. Jeongin expertly ignored the lack of reaction and resumed his spinning, albeit slower. "A magician never reveals his secrets!" He taunted, squinting.</p><p>Felix wondered how Jeongin had been alive an impossible amount of time yet still had so much energy. He rolled his eyes, balancing his chin on his hand. "I guess that's true, sure. What'd you want to tell me about the house, again?" </p><p>The spirit perked up, floating a little in the air. Felix stared at the gap between his butt and the chair, feeling lightheaded. "Oh, yeah. So, the bathroom's at the end of the hall to your left, and the kitchen's off the left of the foyer!" His mouth snapped shut as he waits for a response. There was a brief quiet, in which Felix stared, deadpan, at Jeongin.</p><p>"You're telling me you came up here to say two things?" He felt a headache emerging and flopped onto his back. Arms outstretched, he stared at the ceiling and tried to convince himself<em>, this isn't real, there isn't a ghost in my bedroom</em>. It didn't work.</p><p>Jeongin bent over his face. Felix screamed, which made him laugh. "Maybe I did. But I want to get to know you, too!" He smiled widely, dimples appearing. </p><p>"I just met you," Felix sighed, backing himself up onto the headboard until he was sitting upright. The other hummed and moved to the front of his bed, legs crossed. He balanced his chin on his hand and blinked sweetly. </p><p>"Sure, but the more we get to know each other the less you'll look like you want to die when we talk to you." Jeongin nodded to himself, making the mattress squeak. Felix wondered if he was just easy to read or hating people was just his resting expression. <em>Probably both.</em></p><p>He sighed (he'd done a lot of that) and cracked his knuckles absentmindedly. "Fine," Felix muttered, "what do you want to know?" Jeongin turned his head around and fist pumped. He faced Felix again with a serious expression. It pulled a shiver out of him.</p><p>"Do you, Felix last name unknown, agree to tell no one of the eight noncorporeal beings in your house?" His tone was low and probably would've beem intimidating if not for the way his hair bounced as he leaned forward. Felix bit his lip and recalled that he had invited Chenle over. <em>That might be a slight problem, </em>he noted.</p><p>Very unsettled by the way Jeongin hadn't blinked for a solid minute, Felix backed down, "Fine, okay." Jeongin whooped and his eyes lit up. Not in the way they did in teenage romances- no, they literally flashed bright yellow. It seemed like an impractical power to have, but Felix wasn't an expert on supernatural capabilities.</p><p>Speaking of... "What abilities do you guys have?" It was a little sudden, but Jeongin gasped like he'd been waiting to be asked. He probably had, judging by the way he sat upright immediately. Felix wondered belatedly if he would regret asking.</p><p>"Well," Jeongin dragged the word out contemplatively, "our powers rely on our sin! Like, I can see people's greatest desires, and Jisung-hyung, as you, uh, already know, can put people into trances." He got sheepish near the end, looking embarrassed at bringing it up. Felix didn't give it any mind because he was too busy thinking about the fact that these guys had actual <em>deadly</em> abilities. <em>"Deadly" sins. Go figure.</em></p><p>Jeongin seemed to get what he was thinking. "We'd never use them on you unless you agree and it'd help you, of course! There's been some, uh, mishaps-" Felix's head snapped up- "so now we're being especially careful. Plus, our powers are pretty weak when it's not a solstice."</p><p>The implication of "mishaps" wasn't lost on Felix, and he was a little worried about that, but didn't have much room to judge. After all, he'd probably be on his own little power trip if he had insurmountable power. "Okay, ignoring that other part, why solstices?" He continued staring at Jeongin, making a bit too much eye contact, but <em>sue him for being interested.</em></p><p>Instead of an awing, mystic response like Felix had expected, Jeongin just shrugged. "Don't really know. I guess it's just convenient and makes us more spooky." He wiggled his fingers dramatically to empathize the last words. Felix rolled his eyes.</p><p>"For a bunch of guys with superpowers, you're pretty lame," he snorted. Jeongin gasped and hit him lightly on the arm, fake offended. Felix hit him back, smiling a little. He was pretty sure the shock had set in, because now he was treating this stranger like a friend instead of a mind-reading spirit.</p><p>Huffing, Jeongin interrupted, "Anyways, yeah. On solstices we stay in our rooms- well, Hyunjin and Changbin stay together but we don't talk about that- and wait for the end of the day." Felix nodded slowly. He decided ignorance is bliss and to not ask why wrath and lust need to room together... <em>oh. Gross.</em></p><p>He must've been making a face, because Jeongin giggled. "Right?" He asked, rhetorically. Felix pursed his lips, not particularly liking having to think about ghost sex. <em>How does that even work? </em></p><p>Ignoring his warm face, Felix hummed in response. They didn't really have anything else to say, so the silence dragged on... and on... and an anxious feeling swam in his chest. Jeongin, bless his soul, seemed to be able to read the room. "Anywho, since I've told you about stuff, I'll see you around!" He did some fingerguns and jumped off the bed, closing the door silently behind him.</p><p>The sudden darkness left Felix to wonder, not for the first time, what he'd gotten himself into.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>jeongin fingerguns,, my bi senses are tingling.. n e ways thanks for reading! try to guess what the other sins' powers are, i already know but im not telling just yet 👀. basically on the winter and summer solstices, they unlock more complex parts of their powers and lose a lot of their control. btw i gave chan one of the strongest powers because he's the leader, just sayin. thank you sm for all the love!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Breakfast Therapy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chan is hungry and tired. Felix sort of befriends some of them, and runs away from the rest. Everyone is awful at confrontation.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>"make a man out of you" came on while i was writing and it kinda fits the plot</p><p>TWS: food, mentions of absent parent, break-ups, and trauma (briefly for all three)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Felix woke up, not to the usual crumbs on his mattress grating against his skin, but to the feeling of being fully rested. He took a slow look around, his brain finally processing the fact that <em>this is not his bedroom.</em> For a few seconds, he blinked at the posters on the walls and the absence of Mountain Dew Zero cans on the floor, before he realized, <em>oh yeah, this is mine now.</em> Which totally didn't make him concerned for his safety.</p><p>Disregarding his short-term memory, Felix rolled out of bed- literally rolled. He groaned from his newfound place on the floor, and as he was about to accept his fate as human carpet, someone knocked and turned the doorknob. Sluggishly, he looked towards the door.</p><p>"Good... morning," Chan said, raising his eyebrows. Felix simply nodded, not particularly liking to be reminded of his fucked-up situation so early. He untangled himself from the sheets and threw them back on the bed. They twisted into a coil, making him groan. Chan watched, a bit too amused by his suffering.</p><p>"Yeah?" Felix muttered, as he tried to unravel his bedding. His only experience with knots was with his shoelaces, so he was failing pretty drastically. Chan tsked and walked over, light on his feet. That might just have been a ghost thing, though. </p><p>He helped Felix (<em>wow his hands are big</em>) with his sheet conundrum before backing up. "We made breakfast!" Chan exclaimed, a little giddy. His eyes scrunched up with his smile.</p><p>Felix's mouth quirked up a little. "Thank you," he said seriously, following Chan as he went down the hall. "I'm pretty inept at most cooking stuff." The spirit laughed breezily, his dead hair (<em>ironic</em>) falling over his forehead.</p><p>"You get better when you can summon it with spirit magic," he quipped, and Felix didn't quite know how to respond to that. He just stares at the creepy portraits on the wall as they pass. It was pretty cliché, but he swore that one lady's eyes swerved to track his movements. Just as he'd noticed it, the painting was back to normal.</p><p>None too aware of ghost customs, Felix kept quiet. If Minho got pissy over being called a ghost, god knows what he'd do if someone said something was possessed. Felix fiddled with his fingers, sliding his hands in and out of one another. It was a nervous habit of his, and it was fitting to say he's pretty fucking nervous walking side-by-side with a spirit.</p><p>Regardless of his inner turmoil, time kept moving. They were in the foyer. Jisung was dozing on the couch, his head laid in Jeongin's lap. Seungmin was carding his fingers through the sleeping boy's hair while perched on the sidearm like a Gargoyle. Felix's breath definitely didn't halt at that, he's <span class="u">not</span> scared of a cute ghost boy.</p><p>Tearing his eyes from the clusterfuck in the corner, Felix gazed at Chan's back as he kept walking. His sleep shirt is just a tad too tight, and he could see every single muscle shifting. It's a bit too provocative for its own good. Warm for unrelated reasons, Felix kept fiddling with his hands as they passed through the entrance to the kitchen.</p><p>Polished marble counters were pushed against one wall, with an island behind them. There was a big oak dining table on the other side of the room. Felix felt like he was in the rich grandma's house from <em>Gilmore Girls</em>. The cheap, Kroger brand cereals on top of the fridge broke the illusion.</p><p>"Here we are!" Chan exclaimed, rushing over to the counters. "You can always help yourself, just don't take the chocolate Pop-Tarts. Those're Minho's." Minho whipped his head up from his phone on the table and locked eyes with Felix, raising a brow in a silent challenge. Felix flushed and looked away, nodding to Chan. </p><p>Chan smiled and quipped, "Well, I'm hungry as fuck so you can dig in!" He traipsed over to the table, where there was objectively way too much food. Mounds of bibimbap, kimchi, and other things Felix couldn't even identify pile up.</p><p>He slowly took a seat away from the others- Changbin, Minho, Chan, and Hyunjin- and took a bowl. "Thank you for the meal," he whispered, pulling the chopsticks apart.</p><p>Minho glared at Hyunjin, who had his chin into his hand as he watched Felix. Changbin peeked his eyes over his puzzle book. The cover had a few... <em>puncture wounds?</em> Felix decided not to ask. The stares on him linger, though, and made him look up from his breakfast. "Um, yeah?"</p><p>No one responded, casting unsure glances at each other. Chan pursed his lips, daring them to say something. Felix wished, not for the first time, that he had his old, cockroach-infested apartment back.</p><p>Changbin looked at Hyunjin and nodded, prompting him to speak. "Everyone totally wants to know what your deal is," he said nonchalantly. Minho smacked him on the shoulder, pouting. Hyunjin recoiled and shrugged innocently. Chan watched the chaos go down with the disgruntlement of a suburban dad roped into having six kids.</p><p>"By <em>that</em>," Chan directed an accusing glance at Hyunjin, "he means we're concerned about yesterday, and since we're supposed to help you, we need to know about your emotions." Like he hadn't just embarrassed Felix half to death, he reached forward to grab a bowl and dug in. Changbin set his book down and prodded at his food.</p><p>Felix scanned the faces in front of him, dumbfounded. "You want me to explain my emotional baggage to you?" He could already feel a migraine coming on. <em>These people aren't good for my health</em>, he thought as his leg started bouncing up and down. </p><p>Minho nodded solemnly. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, of course, because we're going to try to help you. What is it? An ex-partner? Trauma? Missing parent?" He got progressively closer to climbing over the table with every suggestion. Felix blinked dumbly.</p><p>Changbin snarled. "Minho! Don't ask it like that!" He smiled apologetically at Felix, who stared at the trio, speechless. They wanted to be his ghost therapists? They, people he met <em>yesterday,</em> want to be his ghost therapists? <em>Yeah, not going to happen.</em></p><p>"Okay, sorry, gotta go now!" Felix rushed out of the room, still holding his breakfast. After all, he had his priorities in check. Even though he was making a beeline towards his room, the trio on the couch caught his attention. Seungmin looks at him, nonchalant.</p><p>"They freaked you out with their dumbassery, didn't they?" He asked knowingly, patting Jisung's head once before collapsing in a nearby chair and gesturing Felix to another. Felix sat in it hesitantly and nodded, just for <em>once </em>wanting to talk to someone normal. Even if that "someone normal" was another one of his seven noncorporeal housemates.</p><p>Jeongin rolled his eyes. "I told them not to do that, but they didn't listen. You're a lot more closed off than the others, not to mention you treat us like people." Seungmin's mouth twitched downwards. Felix cocked his head to the side, picking at his kimchi. </p><p>"What do you mean by that?" He asked, chewing slowly, eyes trained on his food. </p><p>Seungmin shook his head. "It's just that you haven't tried to sue us yet, or get us to use our powers to help you meet someone famous-" Felix raised his eyebrows- "long story. You're awkward around us like you probably are with everyone else."</p><p>Felix nodded in understanding. Jisung muttered something quietly, and Jeongin huffed. "What'd you say, hyung?" He asked, bringing his fist down on his shoulder. The sleeping (or not) boy opened his eyes grumpily.</p><p>"I said, he's not some crusty old man, either," Jisung drawled, pulling his knees up to his chest. Seungmin and Jeongin cringed. Felix definitely didn't want to know that story. </p><p>"Uh, thanks, I guess. You guys do look human, except for the whole," he wiggled his fingers vaguely, "translucent thing." Felix picked up the last bit of bibimbap in his chopsticks, and Seungmin's eyes drifted towards it. Shrugging, Felix put his hand forward, offering the chopsticks to him.</p><p>However, since most people aren't totally socially inept, Seungmin took this to mean he's trying to feed him, and opened his mouth wide. Felix froze before shoving it into his waiting mouth and scampering up from the chair. "Good talk! I gotta, like, do homework now, though!" Taking this as his leave, he ducked his head and hurried back to his room.</p><p>At least his awkwardness hasn't changed any.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thanks for 1000 hits wow?? also all the comments are so sweet,, im trying to update but my brain likes to go into hibernation a lot. the next chapter felix's friend is coming over!! place your bets on how much chaos will ensue 💕 mine is a lot 💞</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chaotic Evil Hyunjin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>An insight into the sins' perspective- specifically Jeongin. We learn a little more about their powers!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>no TWs i can think of!!<br/>thank you for reading~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After Felix successfully fleed the room, Jeongin swiveled his head around. "You scared him off!" He points accusingly at Seungmin, who turned away and pursed his lips.</p><p>"It's not like I meant to, he's the one who fed me," he muttered, making Jeongin roll his eyes. Jisung blinked awake blearily and sat up. He rubbed at his face and groans lowly.</p><p>"We are no good with humans," he pointed out, sliding his phone from the pocket of his sweatpants. He had a point, Jeongin admitted to himself, gazing at Kart Rider's graphics over Jisung's shoulder. Ever since they had bought him a phone in 2000, he'd had an addiction. They'd found him on some websites they'd rather not talk about. Ever.</p><p>Seungmin shifted in his chair and slung his legs over the armrest. "The hyungs fucked up first," he said, staring at the ceiling. Muffled cartoon sound effects flowed from Jisung's phone. Someone in the kitchen screams- not wholly unusual.</p><p>Jeongin nodded to himself. "Yeah, he's kinda jumpy." He muttered, referring to Felix. Seungmin shot him a look that reads, <em>a little?</em> Jeongin shrugged.</p><p>Hyunjin peeked his head through the doorway, "Did he run away?" Seungmin, Jeongin, and Jisung muttered affirmations. Hyunjin dashed towards them and catapulted over the back of the couch. A phone appeared in his hand.</p><p>Not looking away from the ceiling (which must be particularly interesting), Seungmin droned, "Just carry around your fucking iPhone and stop making new ones." Jeongin snorted quietly, trying to hide it. There was no use, seeing as Hyunjin was sitting right next to him.</p><p>Hyunjin stuck his tongue out and started booting up the new device. "You're just jealous because you don't have cool powers like mine," he sung, wiggling his toes into the carpet. The "powers" argument is one they'd beaten into dust, but it always came back up eventually.</p><p>Before Seungmin could go full debate mode, Chan walked into the living room, his Gucci slides clapping against the floor. Hyunjin, who'd tried to convince him to give up the shoes an impossible amount of times, scoffed near-silently.</p><p>Chan glared at Hyunjin, who glanced away quickly, clasping his hands together. Jeongin looked on questioningly. "Jinnie made Changbin manipulate me into letting them scare Felix," Chan explained, rubbing the bridge of his nose.</p><p>Minho entered, red in the face. He stormed past and stomped up the stairs, prompting everyone, except for Chan, to look at Hyunjin. "We did it to hyung, too." He muttered, smoothing out his jeans. <em>Not good,</em> Jeongin mused. <em>Minho-hyung isn't fond of people messing with his mind.</em></p><p>Changbin rushed in and burrowed into Seungmin. The younger choked and groaned as Changbin's weight settled into him. "Minnie," Changbin cried, "they wouldn't let me tell Jinnie to punch himself in the face."</p><p>"You know they can't scold you, so they have to prevent shit like that." Jisung cursed again as his rider fell into third place. No one knew how he was so awful at the game when it was all he ever played. Hyunjin puffed his cheeks out, giving a pleading look to Chan.</p><p>Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Their eyes snapped to the front door- no one had visited in centuries. Just as someone was about to get up, they heard pounding steps on the stairs. Felix appeared, out of breath. He fumbled with the knob and opened the door, revealing a stranger.</p><p>Really, that was no surprise, since the seven of them had no outside friends, but what was shocking is the fact that he clung to Felix immediately. That meant it was his friend, which, Jeongin glanced at Chan, meant he had no idea they were spooky ghosts. A strangled cry erupts from the tangle of limbs that was Felix and Unknown.</p><p>"Lee Felix, your house is bigger than mine!" -the stranger pulled away- "And there are a bunch of other people in it!" He looked from them, back to Felix, and back to them. "Why are there a bunch of people in it?"</p><p>Felix stuttered, looking over his shoulder. He obviously hadn't put thought into how to explain his sudden housemates. Hyunjin came to his rescue. "We're his cousins," he explained, going up to sling an arm around Felix's shoulder, "and Mom thought this house was too big for one person."</p><p>There's a moment of silence as the stranger squinted, in thought. Just as Jeongin was about to tell Changbin to empty his memory, he spoke up. "Okay," he said simply, "My name's Chenle. What's your guys' names?" Hyunjin went around and introduced them, and Felix's shoulders drooped in relief.</p><p>Once introductions were done, Chan offered to start up the Switch, which Chenle whooped at. Jeongin grimaced, knowing a Smash match was incoming. He just hoped no one broke any controllers again- not a good first impression to have.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sorry it's not very long, i've been lacking motivation for a lot of reasons. happy late birthday, stay!! chan's live was so cute. on another note- i've never broken a controller while angry, ig i'm just that cool 😎 although i've broken them on accident.. anyways, thank you for the support! ily all</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Smash Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Felix kicks ass both in Smash and in reality. The questionable logistics of how ghosts' asses can be kicked are besides the point.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>don't ask about the chapter title please<br/>no tws!!! i'm channeling my angst into works that will come v e r y  s o o n...<br/>ahahaha look out for 2min and jilix 👀</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>As it turned out, Jeongin was right in his assumption that Smash wouldn't go well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin mained the one kid who screamed the same line when he performed a move. Upon observing this, he used that same move over and over</span>
  <span>. The endless loop of what seemed to be his only voiced line very quickly drove them insane. They targeted him, endlessly stomping on his dumb, empty head, which in return made him ally with Jeongin, creating a chaotic duo that even Satan looked upon with horror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They ended up making Seungmin switch characters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After that fiasco, Felix, who'd chosen an anime girl with disproportionately large boobs, kicked their asses consecutively. They, having learned nothing, allied against him and still somehow lost. Jeongin had to get up to get some ibuprofen by this point- the screams and cheating accusations were a bit much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the game went on similarly; with a lack of volume control and enough swear words to end them up in the innermost circles of hell. Fortunately, a majority of them were already dead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They ended up getting bored, both of Smash and every other video game shoved down their throats by Chenle. They couldn't stand another, "It's really good, trust me!" Even Chan, indulgence personified, was looking exhausted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So," Chan said, turning off the TV, "you guys want to get some food?" Hyunjin peered into the kitchen like he expected it to already be there, and turned back with a confused expression. Minho punched him in the shoulder with a heavily implied, <em>humans can't summon food, idiot!</em> His eyes lit up in realization.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin coughed to clear his throat. "Yes, food, delivery! Delivered food. I love... delivery food." Chenle looked at him like he was wondering what drugs he was on. Valid question. Felix rubbed his temples.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Somehow the only smart one, Changbin unlocked his phone and looked up. "What're we ordering?" He asked, thumbs hovering over his keyboard. Felix and Chenle lit up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Chinese!" They shouted in unison. Immediately they turned and high-fived. "Bros!" They yelled again (still at the same time), giggling. The rest of them shared a look- both at the fact that the morose Felix just giggled and that humans apparently have wack-ass traditions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Chinese it is," Changbin laughed awkwardly, leaving the room to dial the delivery service.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That left them simmering in their own awkward silence. Chenle quirked an eyebrow and said, "He didn't take our orders." The others stilled at the realization that <em>oh shit, humans can't read minds</em>. They should really read up on their basic human anatomy. Felix smiled nervously, hand coming up to punch Jeongin, the nearest spirit. He shoved his fist in his mouth and tried not to scream, because for a human, Felix packed a fucking <em>punch</em>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Actually, I told him before you came what you usually get. He already knows everyone else's." Felix explained, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment and exasperation. Chenle quirked an eyebrow but nodded, looking back down at his phone. Everyone let out a breath and felt their shoulders slump. They didn't particularly want to be sent to Area 51 (again).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin suddenly came back into the room and flopped down on Jeongin's lap. "It's on its way!" He said, voice muffled where he was pressed into Jeongin's shirt. The younger rolled his eyes and wiggled to no avail. Even if he had escaped, Changbin would've punished him in the worst way possible... <span class="u">overnight cuddles.</span></span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’re the Chinese food people getting through the gate? Wait, how’d <em>Chenle</em> get through the gate?” Chan asked, snapping his head around to stare at Chenle. Everyone followed his lead, and Felix screwed his forehead up, trying to remember whether he’d locked it when he’d first arrived. He was pretty sure he had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I climbed the gate,” Chenle said, nonchalantly. They stared at one another in disbelief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You... </span>
  <em>
    <span>climbed </span>
  </em>
  <span>it?” Minho asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chenle grinned up at him, shrugging. “I have my ways.” </span>
  <span></span><br/>
<span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Jisung nodded in respect. Chan just rubbed his temples and sighed, “Let’s just go open it. I don't think whoever's working Chinese delivery has experience with scaling fences.” Chenle shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not getting up!” Jisung whined, turning to bury his head further in Minho’s lap. Minho shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guess I’m not either,” he deadpanned, weaving his fingers through Jisung’s hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan rolled his eyes. “Who <em>is</em> coming with me, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Felix will go!” Jeongin provided, swinging an arm around said boy’s shoulders, grinning widely. “He opened it first, anyways.” Chan hummed, giving Felix a little thumbs up and heading off to put on his shoes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will?” Felix asked in confusion. His head turned to cast a dumbfounded look at Jeongin, which morphed into a glare once his brain caught up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not like you’re going to get over your fear of them otherwise,” Jeongin muttered, just loud enough for the two of them to hear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There really was no way to dispute that- Felix was as closed off as they came. Jeongin literally had to invade his room just to get him to talk. Felix sighed and pushed Jeongin’s arm off. From his place near the door, Chan asked, “You coming or not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m on my way!” As he left the room, Felix loured at Jeongin, face twitching as the other fell into unbridled giggles. He turned and grabbed his shoes, slipping them on before following Chan outside.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you all for waiting and for 177 kudos?!?!? wow, i cant believe people actually read this and the HITS?? that means people kept reading multiple chapters!! my responses to comments may seem dry but i really appreciate it so much.<br/>i'm trying my best to get out new chapters but my depressed ass isn't gonna get work that i enjoy done, how ridiculous. plus school has started up (virtually) which is great for my time management.</p><p>stay safe everyone!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Reckoning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Felix begins to gather his bearings, and also the Chinese delivery. Chan provides moral support.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>no tws i can think of !!<br/>if you are reading this, stay safe and blm</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It hadn’t been long since Felix first showed up at the mansion, but the weather was starkly different. Instead of that sunny, crisp feeling he’d had walking up to the gate for the first time, as he closed the door behind him, their air was sodden with rain. It wasn’t unlike how it felt on the morning of a field trip back in Australia. It made Felix a little sad, a little nostalgic. A similar emotion to when Jisung had used his “powers” on him that same first day.</p><p>He looked up at the sky and it was grayish, downcast and reflecting shadows onto the ground. Felix looked back at the house, and sure enough, it looked much scarier in the dark. Awnings of the balcony had shadows that stretched over its walls, making most of its windows pitch black. The vines crawling up its side had less of a cute cottage feel and something more sinister, their brambles somehow sharper under the lack of sun. He turned back to Chan, who was watching him with something indiscernible. Either that, or Felix was just awful at deciphering expressions.</p><p>“I think it’s going to rain,” Chan pointed out, falling back to match his steps with Felix. The latter nodded and flitted his eyes around, peeking at the trees and brush. It felt weird to be alone with Chan- he had a brotherly feeling, but since they were strangers, it just made it that much more uncomfortable. What was worse was the fact that, in the back of his mind Felix still understood that Chan was an immortal ghost (<em> with the word “deadly” right there in the name </em>), which wasn’t too good for their relationship.</p><p>Chan didn’t seem affected by any of that, though. His eyes roamed their surroundings with a calmness Felix wished he had. “So, I’m sorry things have been… <em> difficult </em> lately.” Chan gave a big, apologetic smile, but Felix never had a problem with Chan. He’d more so had a problem with the whole scary, invasive spirits thing. So, waved his hand in dismissal.</p><p>“I’ve never been good with people, anyways- er, people and spirits.” Chan laughed at that, and it made Felix feel a little better about saying something like that out loud. He let his jaw unclench, a little bit of that tension that’d been there since day one draining away. It may have been the change of surroundings, but he felt a little more at ease.</p><p>Chan shoved his hands in his pockets, craning his neck back to look at the leaves swaying overhead. “I get that. It’s not like we all started as friends, either, you know?” He asked rhetorically, bringing his head back down.</p><p>Felix raised an eyebrow and smoothed his hands over his forearms, shivering slightly. “How’s that work? Were you just, like… spawned?” The wording made both of them grimace, and then laugh. Felix shook his head. “You know what I mean, though.”</p><p>“Well, I guess that’s accurate,” Chan hummed. “There’s, like, a tier ranking in Hell, and the person at the top created a new one for us. It was kinda like a department, like a Walmart section. So they, like, summoned us and implanted our mission in our heads.” Felix found the comparison of literal demons to Walmart amusing, but didn't bring it up. Instead, he narrowed his eyes in thought.</p><p>“So, were you like, souls? And then they used witchcraft or whatever?” Chan had to think about that, and hummed in thought for a few seconds. <em> Cute habit </em>, Felix thought passively.</p><p>“Well, we were kind of, like, created. And infused with multiple souls, and they put a binding spell on them.” Felix gave Chan a once-over. Less sexy, more so slightly disturbed.</p><p>“So you have a bunch of human souls wriggling around in you?” He asked, discomforted.</p><p>Chan laughed, “That’s not the creepiest thing about me, mate.” Felix thought about that and remembered Jeongin floating above his chair, his eyes turning yellow, Hyunjin’s shifting colors, Changbin apparently using <em> mind control </em>, and the Jisung Incident of 2020.</p><p>“You’re probably right.” Felix admitted. They simmered in a not-too-uncomfortable silence as they walked the whole way to the gate. Felix leant against the edge of it, but Chan gave him a weird look. “What?”</p><p>“Are you gonna unlock it?” Chan asked, an eyebrow raised. Felix sputtered.</p><p>“I thought you’d bring the key!”<br/>
<br/>
“I thought <em> you’d </em>bring the key!” They stared at each other a while before groaning in tandem. “So, neither of us brought the key.” Chan deadpanned. Felix laughed exasperatedly and looked up at the gate.</p><p>“I guess we’ve gotta climb the bitch, then.” He said, hands on his hips. While he was evaluating his risks of dying from jumping off the gate, Chan remained silent. Suddenly, he was on the other side, staring back at him from the side of the road. “Motherfucker!” Felix yelped, leaping back.</p><p>Chan smirked, “It’s the ghost powers. Have fun!” <em> Not fair, </em> Felix mourned, flipping him the bird. He slowly grabbed a hold of a circular part of the gate, tugging down experimentally. When it didn’t creak or break entirely, he hoisted himself off of the ground with it and lifted himself up further. “It’s concerning how easily you’re doing that,” Chan commented from the ground, “not good for security.” </p><p>“Shut up, peanut gallery,” Felix grunted, finding a place for his foot to slide into above where his hand was holding and pushing up. He did this a couple more times before he was at the top. He swung his leg over top of the gate, trying to avoid getting castrated by the intimidatingly pointy spikes underneath him. Finally, he jumped off and into the dirt, legs bunched up underneath him. He nearly fell on his face, but successfully avoided it. <em> Felix one, gate zero, </em>he celebrated, grinning in victory.</p><p>Chan had sat on the ground and waved calmly as he stumbled over to come join him. “It’s not fair that you couldn’t do that to teleport thing both of us,” Felix pointed out, sitting on the dirt and grimacing as it stuck to his pants.</p><p>“I could’ve,” Chan said, wiggling his eyebrows.</p><p>“Are you serious?” Chan just laughed, and Felix sighed. “Whatever.” He turned to face the path leading to the road. It was empty- although it was paved, there was no traffic and Felix was pretty sure there was a dead end up ahead. He kind of felt bad for the delivery worker for having to drive all the way down it.</p><p>They sat in silence for a while, Felix in his thoughts and Chan not interrupting them. </p><p>“So, like…” Felix picked at his fingernails, “you said you guys didn’t like each other at first?”<br/>
<br/>
Chan nodded. “Especially Jisung and Hyunjin. If they could’ve killed each other again, they would’ve. But all those years we spent hanging around one another served as pretty good therapy.”<br/>
<br/>
“Should’ve told my psychologist to try that,” Felix drawled. Chan giggled- in a way that somehow suited him even though he looked like the exact opposite of a giggler. </p><p>“We’re very well-known for our wisdom.” Chan winked dramatically, tossing his hair over his shoulder. Felix snorted, raising his eyebrows. “That was ironic!” Chan defended.</p><p><em> At least he’s aware of the fact that he’s a dumbass, </em>Felix mused, patting Chan mock-sympathetically on the shoulder. At that point, the buzzing of an engine made them both turn their heads. The delivery man was there, climbing out of his car with a bag of their food in his arms.</p><p>“Good afternoon,” he greeted politely, handing the plastic bag to Chan. </p><p>“Good afternoon!” He responded in kind, taking out his wallet (which probably was summoned with freaky spirit powers) and opened it up. “How’s your day?”<br/>
<br/>
Felix watched with fascination as he fluttered his eyelashes at him. “Good, better now,” he drawled. Chan smiled widely, dimples deepening.</p><p>“That’s great! How much do I owe you?” </p><p>“Thirty-three dollars,” he purred, watching his hands sort through the bills with a discomforting amount of interest. Felix felt weird just watching- he couldn’t imagine how Chan was feeling. But when he cast a glance at him, he had the same expression he’d had before the guy showed up. So either he was just charming him unknowingly, or doing it on purpose and not mentioning it.</p><p>“Here you go.” Chan hummed, handing him a few extra for the tip. He smiled again, lips stretched wide, before running back to his car, thankfully not asking for Chan’s number and/or hand in marriage. Felix wouldn’t be able to handle the third-wheeling. As the car pulled out, Felix turned to Chan. </p><p>“Did you use your witchcraft on him?” </p><p>“What do you mean?” Chan asked, eyebrows furrowed. Felix rolled his eyes- <em> so it really wasn’t intentional. </em>He could understand how Chan was charming- overlooking the slight transparency of his skin, he looked like a Varsity football player. A Varsity football player who somehow probably had six-pack abs even though Felix had seen him eat a metric ton of food just the other day.</p><p><em> Demons are so lucky. </em>“Nothing. Take me to the other side of the gate with you or I’m going home.” Chan huffed but ran forward to join him anyways. He settled the bag into the crook of his elbow before grabbing Felix’s wrist in his hand.</p><p>“So demanding.” He droned, before they were across. It didn’t make Felix nauseated, or stumble, or anything like that. One second they were one place, then the next they were in another. Sure, it was disorienting, but maybe that was just his puny human brain.</p><p>They continued walking without another word, but then Felix disrupted that. “So, why don’t you just take us all the way back at once?”</p><p>Chan shrugged, “It makes me tired. I tried going a long way at once a long time ago, and I passed out. It freaked the rest of them out pretty bad,” he squinted in amusement. “It’s not like you run all the time. It’s the same thing.”</p><p>Felix was reminded of the uncannily similar scene from <em> Bee Movie, </em> but decided to ignore that intrusive thought. <em> Bad brain! No shitty movie references. </em>“I guess that makes sense.”</p><p>“A lotta things about our existence don’t make sense.”</p><p>“Word to that,” Felix declared, then immediately grimaced. “I hate that I said that.” Chan snorted rather unattractively, but neither of them mentioned it. Felix couldn’t afford to be that much of a hypocrite.</p><p>They continued their trek, and it remained quiet, because Felix’s social battery was drained. He didn’t know if Chan’s was- didn’t even know if he had a social battery- but he at least seemed to get the signal. The walk was thankfully short enough so that Felix could zone out and not worry about getting bored.</p><p>When they reached the house, Felix had to blink himself awake and focus his eyes again. In the meanwhile, Chan opened the door. It didn’t have a lock, probably because they’d be able to kill anyone who got in their way. Felix shuddered at the thought.</p><p>No sooner than the hinges opened a fraction of an inch, a big blur shot out and grabbed onto Chan. He didn’t even flinch, but Felix was reeling. The blur revealed itself to be Seungmin when his head shot out from Chan’s chest. “You were gone too long,” he droned. The older just patted his hair and waddled through the front door with an adult male wrapped around his waist like it was no big deal.</p><p>Felix followed them warily, tossing his shoes off by the mat. He watched as Chan stumbled his way into the kitchen, half-running into multiple walls. Felix turned to the others, where they were still sitting in the same spots they’d been before they left. “Uh, we brought food.” He announced, and they immediately stampeded towards where Chan and Seungmin had disappeared.</p><p>The only one remaining was Chenle, who went over and suffocated Felix with a hug. “Are you staying the night?” Felix asked, lacing his hands together where they were wrapped around him.</p><p>“Nah,” Chenle drawled, “just don’t go insane without me!” Felix smiled and pulled back, dragging him into the kitchen.</p><p>“Wouldn’t dream of it.” And he really wouldn't.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 200 KUDOS!! this chapter has 10 words for every person who gave me a cheeky kudos so find your ten words /j and feel appreciated because ilysm. your comments feed me and i can absorb your energy through the screen /j so please give me some energy &lt;3 also we've reached ten thousand words, which isnt that many in the fanfic world but considering my inability to focus it's a lot &lt;333</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Bad Morning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Felix forgets things. The others remember, and know him too well already.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>uhhhh read end notes ahaha<br/>tws for medication, depression, food mention, thank u for reading!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>If his bed was a desert, Felix felt like a grain of sand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The bed in his new house was bigger than that of his old one- </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> bigger, and even on good mornings, he could feel the sting of the cold outskirts of the mattress against his skin. But it was not a good morning. Far from it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He had woken up to a floating, sludgy feeling in his skull, eyes only half-open before becoming aware of the stinging in his ribcage. The fact that his depression manifested physically was so much worse; he could handle the mental drowsiness and emptiness, but the aching and heaviness was difficult. Felix didn’t move besides his eyes drifting up to the ceiling, hand coming up to clutch his chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Did I take my meds last night? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He asked himself, but he already knew the answer. He’d told himself a million times that he’d take them- </span>
  <em>
    <span>after I’m done with this last thing, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but had ended up completely forgetting. Typical.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe if someone else were there, he could’ve sat up, taken them and felt miles better immediately. But no one else was there. It was just Felix, his empty room, and his bones filled with lead. Besides, he didn’t really care much. About anything.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a soft knock at the door. “Felix?” Someone asked cautiously from the other side.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Felix hummed, enough to be the slightest bit audible. “I’m coming in, okay?” They asked. Felix let his fingers skim his face (greasy and bumpy), his hair (mussed and dirty), and his clothes (the same shirt he had on yesterday), and hummed again. He looked like a mess, he was sure.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But the door was already opening, and Felix couldn’t give less of a fuck, so he stayed silent. Minho peeked his head in, slanted eyebrows drawn together. He blinked at the sight of Felix, but didn’t otherwise react, coming forward to sit at the end of the bed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They simmered in silence, Minho looking Felix over musingly as the latter stared into space. Suddenly, Minho slid to the floor and began to dig around in the bag by his nightstand. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where are your meds?” Minho asked, deadpan. Felix groaned. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course he would somehow figure out I have meds. And that I didn’t take them last night.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Minho was still waiting for an answer. “Pocket,” Felix pushed out, watching as the other immediately dug around in both pockets of the bag. Minho eventually pulled out the orange bottle and unscrewed it, taking out one tablet. He raised an eyebrow- </span>
  <em>
    <span>you take one, right?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Felix nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He took the pill from Minho’s hand and watched as he got to his feet. “I’ll get you some water,” Minho said, and walked out of the room without another word.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Felix blinked, relaxing back further into the pillows. He hadn’t been treated like that since he moved out of his mom’s house, and it was odd. But he didn’t dislike it. A bit stunned at his discovery, Felix scooted up closer to the headboard and let his head hit the wooden base.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The dull, throbbing pain let him focus more, surroundings becoming clearer. He sighed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was hard for him to meet one new person, let alone live with seven- so he was still struggling to accept it all. But none of them seemed that bad.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sure, maybe they were invasive, only wanted him around to sort him out like a puzzle, and had deadly powers, but no one’s perfect. Felix snorted lightly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was exhausted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>___</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Felix,” someone droned, shaking him awake. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Awake? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Felix’s eyes fluttered open, disoriented.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You fell asleep.” Minho answered. “Here, drink this.” He held out the cup in his hands. Felix stared at it a little.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, it’s the bi flag, Chan bought it.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, alright, then. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Felix grabbed the glass with shaking fingers and put the pill into his mouth, gulping it down with the water. It settled uncomfortably, and he took another sip.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks,” he muttered to Minho, who nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a silence that, to Felix, felt uncomfortable. However, that wasn’t a guarantee. Felix thought that every silence was uncomfortable. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why’d you forget to take it?” Minho asked, walking over to the desk and collapsing into the chair. Felix sighed at the parallel to his and Jeongin’s past conversation. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Felix stared at Minho’s feet as they kicked back and forth against the floor. “I forget things easily,” he answered. Not exactly the truth, but not a full lie. Safe.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Minho hummed. “Well, now that you’ve taken it, we should probably get you-” he stopped midway through, looking at the door. Felix blinked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A few seconds later, there was a knock. There hadn’t been any audible footsteps or indicators someone was coming, but Felix didn’t question how Minho knew. The door opened.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Breakfast!” Hyunjin cheered, holding a bowl of the same cereal Felix had chosen last time. He traipsed over to the bed, setting the bowl on the nightstand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks.” Felix said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hyunjin smiled. “No problem! Do you want to be alone to eat it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mind lagging, Felix took a moment before nodding. His head was spinning.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay!” Hyunjin shouted, rushing forward to grab Minho by the arm. He tugged him out of the chair and towards the door. “We’ll check in later, Felix! Seeya!” The slam of their exit resonated within the room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Felix reached over to grab his cereal, letting it balance between his knees. He blinked a few times. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They are so chaotic. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He lifted a spoonful to his mouth, mechanically swallowing it down.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He smiled a little.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>im not going to apologize again bc ur all probably tired of it haskjfshkfhfj but hi!! im back from my unannounced hiatus! my mental health hit yet another low point and school was just getting so tiring... i couldnt get the energy to write this or face people's expectations sooooo i dipped. i probably should've said something though. thank you to everyone who's still here!!!! i'll try my best to fulfill your expectations!!! this isn't the best chapter, and it's not as long as i would like, but it's giving me anxiety not to post it. so here u go, a short lil morning chapter</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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